The office of Canada’s International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland is warning Canadian softwood lumber producers to prepare for a potentially costly trade war with the U.S. In an email sent to RCI and a number of other media Alex Lawrence, Freeland’s spokesman, warns the U.S. Lumber Coalition is expected to submit petitions to the Department…
Based on the past several Canada-U.S. lumber trade wars going back to 1982, there are two safe bets to make today, at the outset of the next round of hostilities. One is that it’s going to take years to reach a definitive conclusion, during which an incalculable amount of money will be spent on legal…
A spokesman for International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland says the U.S. Lumber Coalition is expected to submit petitions to the Department of Commerce on Friday, requesting an investigation in the ongoing softwood lumber dispute. Softwood lumber is excluded from the continental trade agreement and lumber producers in both countries continually bicker over whether Canadian companies’…
The forestry sector can play a key role in creating a sustainable future that makes better use of leftover material, converting it to alternative fuel sources. Susan Wood-Bohm was the keynote speaker at UNBC’s Doug Little Memorial Lecture Thursday night, named BioCleantech: New Opportunities for Canada’s Forest Sector. “BioCleantech which is the concept of using…
When a wildfire that had flickered for days in the forests of northern Alberta suddenly changed course and started careening towards Fort McMurray this May, the city’s entire population was told to flee. The order came just as Spike Baker was brewing a pale ale. But there was little time to spare: the flames could…
If Nova Scotia implements the right cap-and-trade system, it could mean millions for woodlot owners and rural communities. Dale Prest of non-profit Community Forests International predicts a major shift for the province’s forestry industry. “From one that rewards a low cost of production that results in clear cutting, to one that rewards maintaining and growing…
More than 100 kilometres from the mouth of the Romaine River, far from the public eye, an estimated 1,500 tractor-trailer loads of logs, cut and stacked, have sat decaying for the past three years — ever since the shutdown of a sawmill co-owned by the Natashquan Innu and forestry giant Rémabec. Local residents have asked Hydro-Québec to allow them to use the wood for heating,…
For Skeena Sawmills in Terrace, the next efficiency tool is a CT scanner, similar to those found in hospitals. With old hemlock and balsam trees dominant in the area, the mill has struggled to remain competitive with the ups and downs of lumber export markets and currencies. By scanning logs to identify flaws and decay…
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), in partnership with the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM), presented the Skills Award for Aboriginal Youth to Gregory Daniels and Christian Francis today in Ottawa. The Skills Award for Aboriginal Youth is open to First Nations, Métis or Inuit individuals aged 18 to 30 who are enrolled…
Times are tough for the forest industry in northern and central B.C., and every efficiency loggers and mill operators can find makes a difference. With timber stands heavily damaged by the mountain pine beetle across the region, companies have to haul longer distances than ever, and new technology offers ways to increase productivity and reduce…